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Rachael Keating

Tournament Time

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

No. 5 Western Illinois and No. 4 Kansas City set for Sunday (March 7) at 11:45 a.m.

Who | No. 5 Western Illinois (7-15, 6-8) vs. Kansas City (10-11, 7-8)
When | Sunday (March 7) at 11:45 a.m.
Where | Sanford Pentagon - Sioux Falls, S.D.
Watch |  ESPN+ / MidCo Sports Plus - Tom Nieman (PBP) | Greg Stemen (Analyst)
Social Media | Twitter + Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

Tip-Off | After three weeks off of competition, the No. 5 Western Illinois women's basketball team begins The Summit League Championships against No. 4 Kansas City on Sunday at 11:45 a.m.  
 
Headlines 
  • Senior Grace Gilmore earned her first career postseason honor by being named to the Second Team All-Summit League. Evan Zars was named an Honorable Mention.  
  • On Feb. 6 at Omaha, Gilmore set the program and tied The Summit League Scoring record single-game scoring with 46 points. The mark was also the second-most by an NCAA Women's Basketball player this season. 
  • The record-setting weekend earned Gilmore her first career Player of the Week honor as she was named CO-Pow along with Myah Selland (SDSU).
  • Sunday marks the third meeting between KC and WIU in the postseason. The two sides met in the 2007-08 and 2011-12 seasons, with the Roos winning both. 
  • Under head coach JD Gravina, the Leathernecks have qualified all 10 seasons for the Summit League Tournament.  
  • On Jan. 2, in a 76-65 win over NDSU, Gravina became the second coach in program history to win 150 games, he owns the program's all-time winning percentage at .517.  
  • Evan Zars passed Sophie Reichelt (2013-16) and became 4th all-time in blocks with 81. 
  • Four' Necks are averaging double-figures in league play - Grace Gilmore (15.1), Danni Nichols (12.7), Evan Zars (11.9), and Elizabeth Lutz (10.9). 
  • Lutz is 23rd in the country in steals (56) and 47th in steals per game (2.55) as she leads the Summit in both categories. 
  • Gilmore is 14th in the nation in free-throw attempts (152) and 21st free throws made (108) as she is the league leader in both. 
  • WIU is 14th in three-point field goals (197) and 18th in three-pointers per game (9.0).
  • Overall, Western is 15-26 in The Summit League Championships. 
 
Double-Digit Danni | Danni Nichols has finished in double-digits in 15 out of 22 games this season and 10 out of 14 league games. The guard put together a stretch of six consecutive in league play vs. NDSU, KC, and SDSU. She is nearing the 1,000 point club as she sits at 872 career points. 
 
Spark Plug Sam | Senior Sam Pryor has been a spark plug lately. The guard drilled 33 points, all from three-point, and grabbed nine rebounds. Her 21 points on Feb. 12 was a career-high along with seven three-pointers. This season she has hit a three in 18 games with 22 in the last five games and is the team leader with 42. 
 
Rookie or Vet?  | Anna Deets has started to make a name for herself in the program. The freshman has appeared in all 22 games with one start and is averaging 20.3 minutes per game. She is second on the team in three-pointers (39) to rank fifth in the Summit. The Mason City, Iowa native, has knocked down a shot from deep in 20 out of 22 games with 11 games of two or more. 
 
Three of a Kind | Kansas City, North Dakota, and Western Illinois were the only other schools to have a Player of the Week honor outside of South Dakota and South Dakota State. 
 
Evan Zars - Week 8
Naomie Alnatas (KC) - Week 9
Julia Fleeces (UND) - Week 10 
Grace Gilmore - Week 11
 
Scouting the Opposition | After a seven-year stint in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Kansas City rejoined The Summit League… the program won its first regular-season title in 2020, finishing the WAC regular season with a 13-3 record earning its first-ever NCAA berth… RaVon Nero was named Summit League Sixth Woman of the Year and All-Newcomer Team with Naomie Alnatas selected to the First Team… KC has dropped four of their last five after being swept by SDUS last weekend. 
 
League Highs | Both as a team and individually, the Leathernecks have set game-highs in league play. 
Team - three-pointers made (19) for 2nd all-time in program history, free-throws made (27), assists (23), blocked shots (7)
Ind - points (46) - Grace Gilmore, steals (7) - Elizabeth Lutz, blocks (5) - Evan Zars 
 
Last Time Out | WIU last took the court in a two-game sweep of Denver on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 in the home finale. The Leathernecks were originally supposed to close the season out at Oral Roberts, but it was canceled due to league COVID-19 protocols. 

Up Next | If the Leathernecks win, they will take on the winner between No. 1 South Dakota State and No. 8 Omaha on Monday (March 8) at 11:45 a.m. 
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